Exposure of Pesticide, Air Pollutants and Climate Factors among Pregnant Women in Lampang and Tak Provinces and Its Association with Low Birth Weight

Abstract

This study aimed to estimate agricultural chemicals, air pollutants, and climate factors exposure among pregnant women and to examine Its association with low birth weight. A case-control study was carried out in Lampang and Tak provinces. The study sample consisted of 235 mothers with a birth weight of less than 2,500 grams (study group) and 263 mothers with a birth weight of 2,500 grams or higher (control group). A survey questionnaire was used to collect data, exposure to agricultural chemicals was assessed using AgDRIFT® 2.1.1 and exposure assessments of air pollutants and meteorological data were calculated individually as the mean of exposure during the gestation period per day per average body weight. The statistics used for data analysis were chi-square test/Fisher’s exact test, t-test, and binary logistic regression with forward stepwise log likelihood ratio for variable selection. The results found that the average values of agricultural chemicals received by the study group and the control group were not statistically significant difference but the increases of all air pollutants and meteorological parameters were risk factors to low birth weight as a dose-response manner. The likelihood prediction by using forward stepwise log likelihood ratio found that, In Lampang province, variables related to low birth weight were gestational age (OR = 0.813, 95%CI: 0.729, 0.905), premature labor pain (OR = 6.682, 95% CI: 2.379, 18.771), and average exposure during pregnancy to relative humidity (percent/day-kg) (OR = 3.893, 95%CI: 1.156, 13.111). In Tak province, variables related to low birth weight were gestational age (OR = 0.705, 95%CI: 0.614, 0.810), premature labor pain (OR = 2.408, 95%CI: 1.101, 5.268), not taking iron supplement every day (OR = 2.120, 95%CI: 1.183, 3.800) and average exposure during pregnancy to maximum temperature (celsius/day-kg) (OR = 29.785, 95%CI: 1.986, 446.674). Recommendations The health sectors of both provincestake the results from this study to find out how to reduce the incidence of low birth weight or more study be conducted.